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It’s that time of year again when we find ourselves snuggled inside, sipping hot chocolate and working on letters to Santa while the wind and rain outside beat on the window panes. Suddenly, a football goes flying across the table. We all wince for a half-second then return to sipping our chocolate and adding marshmallows as they melt. One parent calmly reminds the perpetrator to please wait until everyone is done drinking so the drinks don’t spill. The other serenely adds, “Please play catch and not dodge ball with the football.” In some households, one might hear yelling about no football in the house, but it’s the price we pay for the beautiful green landscapes that surround us all year -sometimes outside activities come inside for a season. ‘Tis the life we live with three active boys and the growing girls not far behind! We hope our annual letter finds you happy and healthy, full of anticipation for another year of excitement and surprises, or at least the occasional flying football.
Rebekah is fifteen months old and doing what most toddlers do . . . walking all over the place, climbing up onto the kitchen table, pulling milk cartons out of the recycling bin, crawling up and down the stairs and anything else she can find to give her parents a scare. She still ends up with more food on her face and in her lap than she ever gets in her mouth, but still insists on feeding herself. She is saying “Mama”, “beep-beep” (when she honks your nose), “ruff-ruff” and “meow.” She identifies face parts and is especially fond of poking you in the eye, when you ask her to. She is loads of fund and is just big enough to start playing with her big sisters.
Elisabeth is two and her life revolves around being a mom. She constantly totes around one or two baby dolls (all named Sally) or several small puppies (all named Max) every where she goes. She loves to be held and cuddled herself and likes to put on her own music and dance ballet. She takes after her older brother, Matthew, with her wild imagination and frequently tells us, “My other mom said that I could come and play your family!” We are continually surprised and amused by her stories. She is learning all her shapes and loves drawing them on the foggy shower door with her fingers. Elisabeth is also very artistic and can sit for hours with her water colors and crayons.
Abby is five and in kindergarten this year. She is tops in her for reading and, unlike her brothers who simply want to get done with their homework as quickly as possible so they can go play, Abby asks to do her homework! She happily sits at the table, coloring neatly and drawing in great detail, making sure every page is just right before moving on to the next. Rather than with dolls, she prefers playing with little baby spoons, random board game pieces, and toothbrushes and making up games that can last for hours. She also likes to dance and is still quick to jump onto the top of tangled dog pile of rascally brothers. Abby is in gymnastics and wants to play T-ball this spring.
Isaac is seven and is going to a charter school twice a week and is at home the rest of the time. He continues to be a leader in our family and is the champion at Nerf Gun Wars and wins most running races these days. He likes to play computers, jump on the trampoline, and excels at every sport he tries. He is a hard worker and does the dishes without being asked! He played soccer and is in gymnastics and is looking forward to baseball. He also started piano and has grown more then all of the kids this year.
Matthew is eight. He decided to return to public school this year and, in addition to riding his bike to school every day, loves having lots of new friends to tell his stories to. He also dis-covered he had a talent for soccer this fall, even though he really wanted to play football. He continues to practice piano and is trying to decide whether to take up the cello (Jenny’s plan) or the trumpet (Chris’s idea). He’s still the comedian of the family and our tender-hearted peacemaker.
Nathaniel is ten. He also attends the charter school several days a week with Isaac to supplement his homeschooling. Some of his favorite classes are Latin Life, Science, and Scratch (computer animation). He is playing the violin with the Eugene Arts Umbrella, and continues to practice piano with Mom. Both he and Matthew are involved in Battle of the Books, where they read and debate books with other groups. He and Matthew are also involved in Cub Scouts. He excelled at soccer this fall and wants to play baseball this spring, but he still loves reading the most.
Jenny is a human taxi this year. On her busiest day, she makes eight trips between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., taking kids to their various activities! She enjoys homeschooling, teaching piano to the boys, working in the Primary Presidency at church, and attends a book club once a month. She is also expecting our last baby in the end of May.
Chris is working for the City of Veneta, just outside of Eugene. He enjoys not having homework every night (at least not his own) and was glad to find a job where he can put his degree to use. He is teaching at church on Sundays and helps with the ward missionary efforts. He tries to make it to basketball at the church during the week and hosts Wrestle Mania events with the kids most evenings.
Have a great Christmas season and a Happy New Year!
We celebrated the 
